Gas-operated apparatus for pumping very cold liquids



' 0a. 17, 1950" R, H ODDARD 2,526,221

GAS-OPERATED APPARATUS FOR PUMPING VERY COLD LIQUIDS Filed July 18, 1947 INVENTOR.

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' late of'Annapoiil,

dard, Md, by Esther C. Goddard, executrix, Worcester, Mala, assignor of one-half to The Daniel and Florence Guggenheim Foundation, New York, N. 1., a corporation of New York Application This invention relates to apparatus for piimping very cold liquids, such as liquid oxygen.

It is the general object of the invention to provide apparatus in which the pumping action is eflected by the action of a pressure gas produced by evaporation of another very cold liquid, such as liquid nitrogen.

A further object is to provide apparatus in which the evaporated pressure gas is automatically supplied at a regulated pressure and only in such amounts as are required for use.

The invention further relates to arrangements and combinations of parts which will be hereinafter described and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

A preferred form of the invention is shown in the drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a sectional side elevation of apparatus embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a detail sectional view of a portion of an insulated inner tank casing;

Fig. 3 is a partial sectional elevation of the inner tank and a heat-insulating float; and

Fig. 4 is an enlarged side elevation, partly in section, of certain parts shown in Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings, a tank It is shown in which a very cold liquid, as liquid oxygen, is stored at atmospheric or relatively low pressure. The tank ill may be filled through a pipe II and valve i2.

A high-pressure tank 20 is mounted within the low-pressure tank It and is provided with check valves 22 and 23 opening inwardly to the tank 20 but yieldingly closed outwardly by very light springs. The tank 20 has a delivery pipe 25 provided with a valve 26 and also has a supp y pipe 21 through which gas under pressure may be admitted to eject the cold liquid from the tank 20' through the discharge pipe 2!.

The top of the tank it may be connected into the top of the tank 20 by a by-pass 30 having a shut-oil valve II. A vent pipe 33 and valve I are also provided. a

The gas under pressure is supplied to the pipe 21 from a pressure tank 40 through a pipe I and valve 42. The gas in the tank 40 is derived from another very cold liquid, such as nitrogen, which is stored in liquid form in a small tank 44 mounted within the low-pressure tank It and normally immersed in the liquid oxygen.

The tank 44 may be fllled through a pipe 45 which also serves as a vent pipe, so that the tank 44 is at atmospheric pressure.

The tank 44 is connected through a pipe It to an injector ti which is operated by gas under pressure supplied from the tank 40 through a July is, m, Serial No. 761,80: 1 Claim. (01. 02-1) pipe 82. Valves II and N are provided in the pipes It and i2, and these valves are automatically controlled by bellows operators ti and l! which are jointly connected by a pipe 51 to the pipe 4i previously described. The pipe II is provided with an insulating covering 60 to prevent evaporation of the liquid nitrogen before it reaches the injector II.

The tank 20 is provided with an insulating lining 60a (Figs. 2 and 3) inside of which is a very thin metal lining 81. This prevents the condensation of the nitrogen pressure gas within the tank 20 which might otherwise occur, as the tank 20 is in .part immersed in liquid oxygen.

It is also desirable to substantially prevent contact of the nitrogen pressure gas in the upperpart of the tank 20 with the liquid oxygen in the lower part of the tank. This is accomplished with this construction, the liquid oxygen in the tank 20 may be quickly discharged through the pipe 25 by opening the valves 28 and 42. The gas pressure is applied against the top surface 82 of the float, and the pressure on the liquid is applied through the bottom surface 8! of the float.

The more-detailed operation of the apparatm is as follows:

Assume that the parts are in the position shown in Figs. 1 and 4, and that some nitrogen has flowed into the tank It, due to the height 0! the liquid in the filler pipe 45. Evaporation of the liquid nitrogen in the tank 40 will then take place, as the tank 40 is not insulated. Pressure will thus build up in the pipe I. If the valve 42 is closed, the gas pressure will then act through the bellows operators and 56 to close the valves 54 and 53 respectively and in the order named. The bellows operators are so designed that the bellows 55 respondsmore quickly and closes the valve 54 ahead of the valve 58.

The tank 20 will have been largely fllled through the check valves 22 and 23, during which time the pressures in the tanks i0 and 20 may be equalized by temporarily opening the valve ii. If the valve ii is now closed and the valve 42 is now opened, nitrogen gas under pressure from the pressure tank 40 is supplied through the pipe 21 to the top of the tank 20, and liquid oxygen will be ejected through the pipe 26 when the valve 28 is opened.

As soon as the gas pressure in the tank 40 begins to fall, the bellows operators will be deflated by their eoil springs 99 and 9|, thus successively dpening the valves 53 and 54. Nitrogen gas under pressure from the tank 40 will then react through the pipe 52 and injector 6| to supply additional liquid nitrogen from the storage tank 44 to the pressure tank 40. A regulated gas pressure in the tank 40 is thus maintained so long as the storage tank 44 contains a supply of liquid nitrogen. 7

Pressure gas for discharging liquid oxygen from the tank 20 through the pipe 25 is thus automatically supplied by evaporation and will be so supplied so long as the liquid nitrogen in the tank 44 is not allowed to become exhausted.

The mechanism above described is simple in construction and operation and is particularly well adapted to its intended purposes. The apparatus may be used to supply liquid oxygen to a combustion chamber while starting the chamber in operation, and is also capable of other and quite general application.

Having described the invention and the ad'- vantages thereof, it will be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the details herein disclosed, otherwise than as set forth in the claim, but what is claimed is:

Pumping apparatus for a very cold liquid comprising an outer low-pressure tank containing said cold liquid, an inner tank mounted within 4 said outer tank and with a substantial portion thereof immersible in said cold liquid, check valve means opening into said inner tank to admit a portion of said cold liquid from said outer tank to said inner tank and closable outwardly on relative increase in pressure in said inner tank, a pressure tank, means to supply a charge of a low temperature, low-pressure liquid to said pressure tank for evaporation therein, and a valved connection from said pressure tank to the top 01' said inner tank through which the gas produced by evaporation in said pressure tank is efl'ective to eject the cold liquid from said inner tank and still in liquid form.

ESTHER C. GODDARD, Ezecutrix of the Last Will and Testament of Robert H. Goddard, Deceased.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are oi record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,878,317 Picard Sept. 20, 1932 2,033,094 DeMotte Mar. 3, 1936 2,117,819 Okada May 17, 1938 2,271,022 Nelson Jan. 27, 1942 2,394,852 Goddard Feb. 12, 1946 

